a Friend in Dublin, dated Arklow,
June 13th, 1798.

Written on the Field of Action.

_My Dr. Friend_,

I wrote to Mr. H. by one of the Conductors who promised to leave
the letter at your house, in which I gave him a circumstantial
account[B] of what took place from the time I left Naas, till the
battle of Gorey, and our retreat to Wicklow afterwards.

[Footnote B: _The Press was stopped for ten days, and every possible
enquiry made to recover the Letter alluded to, but for the present
it cannot be procured._]

On Saturday last we were informed that the Rebels in great force
were pursuing us, the drums beat to arms, and our forces assembled
immediately. Our General formed a square of Infantry at one end of
the town, and left the Cavalry to defend the other. In a little
time the Out-posts were driven in, and shortly after appeared their
Colours flying. They extended for more than _five miles_ around us:
a most awful sight! In order to intimidate us they fixed their hats
on their Pikes and rushed on.

Their Artillery was planted on an eminence which commanded us--Their
armed men in Front, and pike to charge in the Rear. In this order
of Battle they came forward. We waited the first onset; in a few
minutes the firing commenced in all quarters, which lasted from four
o'clock in the afternoon, till near nine at night. They endeavoured
to break our square in every quarter, but like true Soldiers we
cleaved together and repelled them; they stormed our little line
twice, but were beat back with slaughter; they drove their
dismounted horses to the mouths of the Cannon in order to shelter
themselves, but the grape shot made them fall on every side; they
even set the town on fire in order to annoy us with the smoak, but
the wind at the order of _our God_ turned, drove it from us, and
confounded them in their own device; they did every thing like
inveterate enemies, and desperate madmen to accomplish their ends;
and their Priests informed them that they could catch the Heretics
balls in their hands, and threw some (as tho' they had caught them)
to their rebellious mob to fire again at us, and declared they could
beat us with the dust of the earth. Oh what superstition! This was
confirmed by deserters from their Camp, who informed us likewise,
that flushed with victory at Gorey, they thought that after they had
taken Arklow, nothing could stop them till they arrived at Dublin;
and indeed I believe, that this Battle for the